365 Things In 365 Days For 365 Euros

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Work-in-Progress Wednesday: Belcarra Blouse

I’ve been crocheting for the last week and haven’t even stepped into my sewing room. Nature has a way of taking over, even indoors. This little guy was suspended in front of my sewing machine, from chair to table.

I carefully dismantled the web and the little spider scurried off into one of the many piles on the table.

***

My most recent sewing projects have all been relatively successful, leading me to believe I’m actually progressing into an intermediate sewist. This was a humbling afternoon.

I was quite a bit behind on the Sewaholic Belcarra Blouse sew-along and it was 2:00 this afternoon before I sat down at my machine, but I figured I’d be all caught up in an hour or so. I was busy for three.

I started by sewing on the sleeves and attaching everything at the shoulders and sides, giving me the basic structure of the blouse. Moment of truth: did my FBA (full bust adjustment) work? Argh! The darts are almost two inches too low but I don’t know how to raise them without changing the entire structure of the blouse. The back doesn’t hang right either. I think I may need to go down a size and increase the FBA.

Despite the fit being all wrong, making the blouse completely unwearable (though how wearable was a bed-sheet shirt going to be?), I decided to continue in order to practice all the steps. I’ll have to do another muslin before I cut into the Liberty lawn but by that time I’ll hopefully have mastered the other elements. I confess I lost any sense of perfectionism after this, so the neck binding and the cuffs leave much to be desired.

I should be finished this blouse by the weekend and I think I’ll dive right into a second attempt. This pattern has potential but it may take a few tries before I get there.